Insights

🚀 Tech Command Investing - Episode 2 Recap

October 20, 2025

Alain Gavin

Alain Gavin

Managing Partner - Chief Investment Officer

Satellites Are Being Hacked — And We’re Not Ready

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In Episode 2 of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin sits down with Mathieu Bailly, VP at CYSEC, to uncover how satellites, the backbone of modern defence, navigation, and communication have become the next cyber battlefield.

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🔸 From Connectivity to Combat:
Once seen as passive communication tools, satellites are now active participants in a new kind of warfare. The Ukraine ViaSat hack exposed how space systems can be disrupted through ground-based cyberattacks without ever touching orbit.
🔸 Unseen Vulnerabilities:
Many satellites still operate “in the clear” transmitting data without encryption or authentication. Ground stations and mission control networks remain wide open to exploitation, making Earth the real weak point in space systems.
🔸 The Skills Gap in Space Engineering:
Aerospace engineers often receive no cybersecurity training, leaving blind spots hardcoded into satellite architecture. As Bailly notes, “We’re building critical infrastructure with outdated assumptions about security.”
🔸 Quantum & AI: The Next Threat Wave:
Quantum computing threatens to break current encryption standards, while AI could automate and accelerate satellite hijacks. These technologies are evolving faster than defence systems can adapt.
🔸 Rogue Docking & Physical Intrusion:
The emergence of autonomous satellite docking, as demonstrated by ISRO’s SpaDeX mission, introduces a new risk: physical contact between satellites that could be weaponized to disable, manipulate, or spy on orbital assets.
🔸 Regulatory & Investment Momentum:
Governments are behind, but catching up fast. France, Germany, the UK, and the EU are embedding cybersecurity into future space laws. For investors, this is a €100 B+ frontier cyber typically represents ~10 % of any mature tech sector, and space is on track to be a trillion-dollar domain.
🔸 Startups, Not Primes, Will Define the Next Decade:
Innovation in space cyber isn’t coming from legacy defence contractors, it’s coming from startups building the foundations of orbital sovereignty, deterrence, and resilience.
As Mathieu Bailly puts it:
“Satellites aren’t just vulnerable — they’re undefended. We need to build space systems with cyber resilience from the start.”

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🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover how cyber resilience will define deterrence, sovereignty, and investment across the space economy.

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🎧 Listen now:
[Amazon Music] | [Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts] | [YouTube] | [Audible]

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What People Say About PSION

Alain went beyond imaginable limits with his ability and professional VC expertise to coordinate our fundraising activities at CyStellar. His capability to deeply understand our company’s vision and match it with the right investors was crucial in shortening the time to closing the investment.

Alain helped us with the investment strategy, corporate restructuring, pitch deck, building an investor funnel and following up with investors, supporting the due diligence process, term sheet negotiations and provide recommendation for legal, financial, and tax advisors.

He’s really made a difference in our start-up success to raise its first seed round!

I chose him to join our Board as independent Non-Executive Director where he continues to add value to the strategic direction of the company.

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Peter Bunus

CEO and Co-Founder - CyStellar

It has been exceptional working with Alain over the past few months to develop Skyrora’s financial model and business plan. Alain quickly understood the key drivers of the business, and he was able to combine them with his deep knowledge of the investment industry to ensure our model is well received by investors. He paid detailed attention to intricacies, such as revenue recognition and worked hand-in-hand with us to resolve all difficulties. 

Alain went far beyond what was expected and put us on track to successfully close our funding round. I highly recommend him.


Victor Ivanenko

CFO – SKYRORA (Rocket company)

Alain carried out due diligence on a complex, fast moving business. He worked very long hours and his efforts exceeded the amount of time that was expected. 

He did a deeply researched analysis of the business involved and the sector that it was trading in, as a result of which we made an investment in the target company. In addition, he carried out due diligence on two other companies, a high technology business with several valuable patents based on the West Coast of the USA, and a company supplying communications solutions to the global railways sector. 

Alain and I are discussing several further opportunities of working together.


Simon Hunt

Fund manager

Alain possesses superior organisational, planning and interpersonal skills. As CEO of the business we began together, and as the primary partner in the enterprise, he demonstrated his ability to build and motivate a team, and guided the group towards creative goals and solutions. 

Alain involves others, encourages their strategies for finding solutions and secures maximum commitment from each team member. He also achieved good results when negotiating.

Personally, I find Alain to be a bright and engaging individual. He has a breath of international experience which I find particularly interesting and has a collegial manner which enables him to work effectively with others.

Michael Buxton

Co-investor & entrepreneur

Alain produced an Information Memorandum for Microbus for new investors, he was extremely diligent and picked up the complexity of what is a highly technical niche market very quickly. Market detail across Europe in the public safety market is limited but Alain managed to access detail that had previously been unattainable. 

He was also very knowledgeable in how to value this type of opportunity and tested these valuations from several directions. He was easy to work with but persistent in ensuring he produced the best possible results. I would recommend Alain to anyone requiring an in depth study of their business.

Reg Marsh

MD and COO in Growth & Turnaround businesses

It was a pleasure working with Mr. Gavin and observing his highly professional attitude and his remarkable energy and perseverance in the work he accomplished. He took initiative even on difficult issues to achieve needed results. His unique motivational drive and energy and collegial manner made him well accepted among those he worked with closely.

Dr. Roland Voigt

ex-CFO - SCHOTT AG

Alain is a wonderful person to work with. His support in Skyrora’s outreach to secure funding was invaluable. In countless calls, we worked out strategies together on how to approach investors. 

Alain always inspired me with his ideas and relentless energy to reach out to the right investors. He helped us to do a ground-up analysis of the competitive and market landscape and convince investors of the immense opportunity in the Space launch industry. 

I would warmly recommend him and am thrilled to have him on board and hope to work with him again to secure our next investment round.

Anfisa Anikushina

M&A, SpaceTech

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